In many ways, it's the crossroads of the Twin Cities.
No large development site is so centrally located; you can get there by train, bus or freeway, and it's near many diverse St. Paul neighborhoods and several colleges.
So it's easy to see why the large Midway tract east of Snelling Avenue, between University Avenue and Interstate 94, is being eyed as a possible Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium site by team owner Bill McGuire and his investors.
The bigger question is why the 34.5-acre expanse, so appealing on paper and much of it vacant for more than a decade, is still available for redevelopment at all.
The answer has to do with separate owners, financing gaps and differing views on what should be built — factors that have stifled a number of development prospects and may determine whether an 18,000-seat professional soccer stadium could work there.
MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott and other MLS officials plan to arrive in St. Paul on Tuesday and meet with Mayor Chris Coleman about the site's potential.
That night, residents and businesses will air their views from 6 to 8 p.m. at Midpointe Event Center, 415 N. Pascal St. They are concerned about adding congestion to the heavily trafficked area, the financial burden of a new stadium and whether the community could use the facility.
The Union Park District Council, sponsor of the meeting, supports "further exploration" of a soccer stadium proposal as long as it included mixed-use development on the rest of the site.